It's neither red (1)
nor sweet.
It doesn't melt
or turn over,
break or harden, (5)
so it can't feel
pain,
yearning,
regret.
It doesn't have (10)
a tip to spin on,
it isn't even
shapely—
just a thick clutch
of muscle, (15)
lopsided,
mute. Still,
I feel it inside
its cage sounding
a dull tattoo: (20) I want, I want—
but I can't open it:
there's no key.
I can't wear it
on my sleeve, (25)
or tell you from
the bottom of it
how I feel. Here,
it's all yours, now—
but you'll have (30)
to take me,
too.
-Rita Dove
In the first stanza, some common societal ideas of a, the heart are contradicted. “It’s neither red/nor sweet,” implies that the heart being discussed is the one of substance, the one that beats and is life. It isn’t a bright red shape like those one draws on construction paper, nor is it sweet like a candy that is received on Valentine’s Day (the next line also implies that it is not a "meltable" object like many candies). The heart that Dove is talking about does not break like the coined phrase “don’t break my heart” talks about. It is not a symbol for all encompassing emotions that is discussed “willy-nilly” in society, the heart “can’t feel/pain,/yearning,/regret,” it is an organ, an inanimate object that we as humans associate with emotion, love, and occasionally pain.
In the second stanza, Dove says what the heart really is; it is “just a thick clutch/of muscle,/lopsided,/mute.” These are all contradictions to what we think of when we think of hearts. It isn’t supposed to just be a muscle; it isn’t supposed to be mute. A heart in today’s society should tell us what we feel; who we love; how much we love. The word “lopsided” also shows the imperfection of the heart that we, the readers are not used to hearing/thinking about. It implies that it is not the symmetrical perfect organ that tells us the truth of our feelings; in fact, it connotates a certain amount of awkwardness and uncertainty to it. The heart beat is analyzed by “its cage sounding/a dull tattoo:/I want, I want –.” Dove shows here that we see our heart as our true wishes and desires. The word “dull” implies the monotonous nature of the organ itself, drumming in our bodies constantly. What we want, but as she continues to write, we see that really there is no key; it doesn’t know how we feel; however, we continue to say and know that once it is shared, it must be shared as a whole.
Dove’s poem, "Heart to Heart," seems to dispel the idyllic concept of love and take a rather literal look at the organ. While there are instances in both stanzas that seem to say Dove, as a person, believes in love, the deeper meaning of the poem suggests a rejection of clichés typically connected with the heart (lines 1-5, 24-29).
The Day? Memorial. (1)
After the grill
Dad appears with his masterpiece -
swirled snow, gelled light.
We cheer. The recipe's (5)
a secret and he fights
a smile, his cap turned up
so the bib resembles a duck.
That morning we galloped
through the grassed-over mounds (10)
and named each stone
for a lost milktooth. Each dollop
of sherbert, later,
is a miracle,
like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter. (15)
Everyone agrees - it's wonderful!
It's just how we imagined lavender
would taste. The diabetic grandmother
stares from the porch,
a torch (20)
of pure refusal.
We thought no one was lying
there under our feet,
we thought it
was a joke. I've been trying (25)
to remember the taste,
but it doesn't exist.
Now I see why
you bothered,
father. (30)
-Rita Dove
The first stanza gives us the beginning of background information. As if trying to reach back into memory, Dove asks “The Day?” Knowing that Memorial Day was probably one of the only times that the grape sherbet was given by her father to the kids (at least this is what is implied through the reminiscent and almost wistful tone that appears later in the poem), the poem continues with more details about the day and the sherbet itself. Words such as “swirled snow” and “light” give way to the perfection in the treat. It was light and fluffy, delicious. The buildup makes the reader want to try it. A hint of the reminiscent tone comes through in this stanza as she describes her dad “...he fights/ a smile, his cap turned up/so the bib resembles a duck.” The smile instantly gives way to the love she feels, and an important characteristic of the man who made the sherbet, a man that is probably more remembered than the cool treat as we see in lines 22-30.
The second stanza is framed similarly to the first with information about Memorial Day followed by the sherbet. Dove reflects on her times as a child when she “galloped” through picturesque “grassed-over mounds” pretending that rocks could have names. This allows the reader to also reflect on childhood. Reading these words that I mentioned makes me smile. I think of my own neighborhood, all of the kids running around outside in the gorgeous weather. The sherbet reflects a yearning in this stanza. There is a sense of wonder in how fantastic it was. The word “dollop” implies this quantity. As we continue to read, “is a miracle/like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter,” shows just how the sweetness and the saltiness was perfected in the secret recipe that was guarded by her father. It was something that was craved throughout the year. This stanza allows an increase in the tone of the poem. We see a hint of sadness that comes with not being able to eat it still.
The third stanza has a changed framing with the sherbet being described first and then a family member. The few lines of sherbet show the excitement in the grape sherbet, “Everyone agrees – it’s wonderful!/It’s just how we imagined lavender/would taste.” My confusion in this stanza comes from the two lines talking about lavender. Why would lavender be talked about in this poem? I suppose that it could have been a rare commodity in the time or possibly a fragrance that was in the house, but not really understood by the kids. The description of the grandmother in this stanza is my favorite part in the poem. “…The diabetic grandmother/stares from the porch, a torch, of pure refusal,” allows the reader to picture the scene perfectly. I see a grandmother standing on the porch, hands on hips, wishing that she could have some of the sherbet, but almost disgusted that others were eating it. The words like “stare,” “torch,” and “pure” make me imagine that she would probably be quite a firecracker.
The last stanza ends with a sadness from Dove. She wishes she could go back, remember, taste the sherbet, taste her childhood, but she can’t. “Now I see why/you bothered,/father,” leaves a bitterness, she misses her father. Dove is only now able to understand why her father did what he did, made those days so special, because one day they will fade. The words such as “thought,” “joke,” “trying,” and “doesn’t” show an ending. An inability to remember causes her to write the poem. She wants to go back. “Now [she] see[s] why. The one part that is still confusing about this ending stanza however are the lines "We thought no one was lying/there under out feet." I am not exactly sure what this could symbolize or be a reflection about. Could it be the juxtaposition of death and childhood innocence?
Back when the earth was new (1)
and heaven was just a whisper,
back when the names of things
hadn't had time to stick;
back when the smalled breezes (5)
melted summer into autumn,
when all the poplars quivered
sweetly in the rank and file . . .
the world called, and I answered.
Each glance ignited to a gaze. (10)
I caught my breath and called that life,
swooned between spoonfuls of lemon sorbet.
I was pirouette and flourish,
I was filigree and flame.
How could I count my blessings (15)
when I didn't know their names?
Back when everything was still to come,
luck leaked out everywhere.
I game my promise to the world,
and the world followed me here. (20)
-Rita Dove
Vocabulary: poplars - a tall fast growing tree in the willow family pirouette - spinning on one foot filigree - ornamental work of fine wire formed into tracery
Throughout this poem, the reader is able to see clear themes of life, hope, and opportunity. To me, the poem is full of how we as people should live life and what being young is all about.
The first and second stanzas allow the reader to truly see what the poem will be like, as they set the tone for its entirety. Stanza one divulges that the poem will be about the past and what it meant to the speaker. The phrase "back when," which is repeated twice in this stanza and four times total throughout the poem, implies a fondness to the abstract details of the past that are being provided. Through this stanza, we are able to see that it is not a sad moment in the past that is being discussed, but one of the great unknown and when the world was new to the speaker. As Dove typically writes about history, whether her own or historical events, I sense that she is reaching back into her own memory and building up to the memories of how she felt about the world. The youngness of the speaker that is present throughout the rest of the poem is hinted at in lines 3-4 "back when the names of things/hadn't had time to stick;" when an innocence and naivety is unfolded. The second stanza continues with the same types of memories for the speaker which strengthens the tone of the poem as well as allows the reader to begin a grasp on the overall "lesson" and/or theme of the poem. Once again the phrase "back when" begins the stanza, however, this time, it is continuing the list of images that are important to the overall meaning of the poem. My favorite image "when all the poplars quivered/sweetly in rank and file . . ." appears in lines 7-8. This just gives such a gorgeous picture in my head of what the speaker is talking about. I picture the trees flowing back and forth all in lines, hundreds of trees moving together in a sort of poetic symphony. I believe that in these stanzas, the tone is solidified as love and fondness because of the memories that are vividly described.
The third stanza is one of the most important stanzas in the poem, in my opinion, because of the introducing line “the world called, and I answered.” This line implies that the time that the speaker is remembering and talking about is one where she is answering a sort of calling. I feel as this line, and the ones that mirror it (lines 19-20), is saying that when we as young people are willing to accept the challenges, successes, beauty, and hardships that life presents, we will be able to live happier lifes, and in the case of lines 19-20, we will be able to do so at any age. “Each glance ignited to a gaze,” implies a love and vivacity for life and what through the progression of glance to gaze and the word ignited. I was confused about what the lemon sorbet meant within this stanza. To me, it didn’t follow with the rest of the images found in the poem.
The fourth stanza is when the memories are slowing down for the speaker, and what the young person was is reduced to two short sentences. “I was pirouette and flourish,/I was filigree and flame.” This part of the poem stands out to me as meaning that the person was the beginning (flourish and flame) of something gorgeous, complex, and elegant much like pirouettes and filigrees. I like that the stanza ends questioning what is commonly said to people in life “count your blessings.” The speaker makes the interesting point of how do you count you blessing without truly knowing what they are in the moment. I also think that this question indicts and shines a light onto what youth really is. It shows that young people tend to not see the opportunities that life presents as blessings or important at the time; it is only after growth that it is truly recognized, hindsight is 100%.
The final stanza ends with one final “back when” statement, which talks about the infinite life ahead when one is young, but contrasts the statement with the thought that life and the joy that it brings will follow you throughout the journey as you get older. The overwhelming fascination that is given to what life is about throughout the first four stanzas is able to be experienced no matter the age of the person. The speaker tells the reader the moral of the story; it is about the love of life throughout childhood innocence and into the knowledge that is gained as an adult. “I gave my promise to the world,/and the world followed me here” (lines 19-20).
This poem is free verse with no continuous rhyme scheme.
In the old neighborhood, each funeral parlor (1)
is more elaborate than the last.
The alleys smell of cops, pistols bumping their thighs,
each chamber steeled with a slim blue bullet.
Low-rent balconies stacked to the sky. (5)
A boy plays tic-tac-toe on a moon
crossed by TV antennae, dreams
he has swallowed a blue bean.
It takes root in his gut, sprouts
and twines upward, the vines curling (10)
around the sockets and locking them shut.
And this sky, knotting like a dark tie?
The patroller, disinterested, holds all the beans.
August. The mums nod past, each a prickly heart on a sleeve. (14)
-Rita Dove
This poem has no official scansion or rhyme scheme. The overall theme is about how many living in the ghetto want to get out and what it is like to live in a place where you don't feel safe.
In the first two stanzas the poem describes a neighborhood that seems to be the projects. Phrases such as "alleys smell of cops," and "low-rent balconies stacked to the sky" imply a neighborhood that is rougher than most (lines 2, 5). The speaker is describing the neighborhood that he/she grew up in, and very possibly a specific instance in their life. Stanza one implies that many people die in this neighborhood with "each funeral parlor/is more elaborate than the last" (lines 1-2). Stanza two begins to talk about a boy that lives in the neighborhood and his dreams. I don't exactly know what "a moon crossed by TV antennae" could be," however I would assume that the TV antennae are replacing tree branches that are typically seen as crossing the moon (lines 6-7). The blue bean makes reference to the blue bullet from line 4; therefore, the boy dreams of swallowing bullets, possibly what it would be like to be shot, to be somewhere besides the place that he has grown up, he dreams of the pain that comes with death.
Stanza three is where we find that the boy would like to "swallow a blue bean" and see what it would be like (line 8). Words such as "root," "sprout," "curling," and "locking" imply a deep pain that the boy has within him (lines 9, 10, 11). The boy is experiencing death by "the vines curling/around the sockets and locking them shut" allowing no air to get into the body, enabling the boy to not need to live through the pain that he has (lines 10-11). I feel as though all of these words of pain are connected the neighborhood. The neighborhood and aspects of life there have caused the boy to want out like most people want out of bad situations.
Stanza four is when it is known that the boy is not actually dead or shot. The cop who doesn't really care about the safety of the boy, he really only cares about keeping the insanity and chaos at a minimum. Regardless, he still has the bullets; the boy is just a boy who wants out of his situation. I really am not sure what "And this sky, knotting like a dark tie?" means to the poem (line 12). My best guess as reread the poem is that the boys life is getting darker with these thoughts. I picture the sky as a bad storm is coming into town. The dark swirling clouds are over the boys life, he is sad and feels unsafe and unwelcome if he is dreaming of death, maybe he will take a stance or join in with the bad crowd. Either way, I feel as though his life is what is swirling and dark.
The last stanza honestly makes no sense to me no matter how many times I read the poem. August could be the time of month that this scene is pictured by the speaker; it is hot and muggy, the alleys smell and a boy is daydreaming. Mums are flowers; however, the flowers are not prickly. The other form of mums that I know is "mums the word" or keep it quiet, and this doesn't seem to fit with the image of wearing ones heart on ones sleeve. Finally, in England, mums are moms. This seems to be the safest bet for me because moms are protective over their young (like the aforementioned boy) and are honest; "a prickly heart on a sleeve" (line 14).
The poem's title has a very religious message. "Teach us to number our days," comes from Psalm 90:12. The prayer in this psalm being about the need to live life day by day and make the best out of all situations in order to gain the wisdom that is given to us.
It's neither red (1)
nor sweet.
It doesn't melt
or turn over,
break or harden, (5)
so it can't feel
pain,
yearning,
regret.
It doesn't have (10)
a tip to spin on,
it isn't even
shapely—
just a thick clutch
of muscle, (15)
lopsided,
mute. Still,
I feel it inside
its cage sounding
a dull tattoo: (20)
I want, I want—
but I can't open it:
there's no key.
I can't wear it
on my sleeve, (25)
or tell you from
the bottom of it
how I feel. Here,
it's all yours, now—
but you'll have (30)
to take me,
too.
-Rita Dove
In the first stanza, some common societal ideas of a, the heart are contradicted. “It’s neither red/nor sweet,” implies that the heart being discussed is the one of substance, the one that beats and is life. It isn’t a bright red shape like those one draws on construction paper, nor is it sweet like a candy that is received on Valentine’s Day (the next line also implies that it is not a "meltable" object like many candies). The heart that Dove is talking about does not break like the coined phrase “don’t break my heart” talks about. It is not a symbol for all encompassing emotions that is discussed “willy-nilly” in society, the heart “can’t feel/pain,/yearning,/regret,” it is an organ, an inanimate object that we as humans associate with emotion, love, and occasionally pain.
In the second stanza, Dove says what the heart really is; it is “just a thick clutch/of muscle,/lopsided,/mute.” These are all contradictions to what we think of when we think of hearts. It isn’t supposed to just be a muscle; it isn’t supposed to be mute. A heart in today’s society should tell us what we feel; who we love; how much we love. The word “lopsided” also shows the imperfection of the heart that we, the readers are not used to hearing/thinking about. It implies that it is not the symmetrical perfect organ that tells us the truth of our feelings; in fact, it connotates a certain amount of awkwardness and uncertainty to it. The heart beat is analyzed by “its cage sounding/a dull tattoo:/I want, I want –.” Dove shows here that we see our heart as our true wishes and desires. The word “dull” implies the monotonous nature of the organ itself, drumming in our bodies constantly. What we want, but as she continues to write, we see that really there is no key; it doesn’t know how we feel; however, we continue to say and know that once it is shared, it must be shared as a whole.
Dove’s poem, "Heart to Heart," seems to dispel the idyllic concept of love and take a rather literal look at the organ. While there are instances in both stanzas that seem to say Dove, as a person, believes in love, the deeper meaning of the poem suggests a rejection of clichés typically connected with the heart (lines 1-5, 24-29).
Rita Dove reading "Heart to Heart" - start at 3:29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmqyJC15Ja8
A picture of a heart:
http://www.scienceahead.com/entry/portion-of-human-heart-grown-from-stem-cells-for-the-first-time/
Grape Sherbet
The Day? Memorial. (1)
After the grill
Dad appears with his masterpiece -
swirled snow, gelled light.
We cheer. The recipe's (5)
a secret and he fights
a smile, his cap turned up
so the bib resembles a duck.
That morning we galloped
through the grassed-over mounds (10)
and named each stone
for a lost milktooth. Each dollop
of sherbert, later,
is a miracle,
like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter. (15)
Everyone agrees - it's wonderful!
It's just how we imagined lavender
would taste. The diabetic grandmother
stares from the porch,
a torch (20)
of pure refusal.
We thought no one was lying
there under our feet,
we thought it
was a joke. I've been trying (25)
to remember the taste,
but it doesn't exist.
Now I see why
you bothered,
father. (30)
-Rita Dove
The first stanza gives us the beginning of background information. As if trying to reach back into memory, Dove asks “The Day?” Knowing that Memorial Day was probably one of the only times that the grape sherbet was given by her father to the kids (at least this is what is implied through the reminiscent and almost wistful tone that appears later in the poem), the poem continues with more details about the day and the sherbet itself. Words such as “swirled snow” and “light” give way to the perfection in the treat. It was light and fluffy, delicious. The buildup makes the reader want to try it. A hint of the reminiscent tone comes through in this stanza as she describes her dad “...he fights/ a smile, his cap turned up/so the bib resembles a duck.” The smile instantly gives way to the love she feels, and an important characteristic of the man who made the sherbet, a man that is probably more remembered than the cool treat as we see in lines 22-30.
The second stanza is framed similarly to the first with information about Memorial Day followed by the sherbet. Dove reflects on her times as a child when she “galloped” through picturesque “grassed-over mounds” pretending that rocks could have names. This allows the reader to also reflect on childhood. Reading these words that I mentioned makes me smile. I think of my own neighborhood, all of the kids running around outside in the gorgeous weather. The sherbet reflects a yearning in this stanza. There is a sense of wonder in how fantastic it was. The word “dollop” implies this quantity. As we continue to read, “is a miracle/like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter,” shows just how the sweetness and the saltiness was perfected in the secret recipe that was guarded by her father. It was something that was craved throughout the year. This stanza allows an increase in the tone of the poem. We see a hint of sadness that comes with not being able to eat it still.
The third stanza has a changed framing with the sherbet being described first and then a family member. The few lines of sherbet show the excitement in the grape sherbet, “Everyone agrees – it’s wonderful!/It’s just how we imagined lavender/would taste.” My confusion in this stanza comes from the two lines talking about lavender. Why would lavender be talked about in this poem? I suppose that it could have been a rare commodity in the time or possibly a fragrance that was in the house, but not really understood by the kids. The description of the grandmother in this stanza is my favorite part in the poem. “…The diabetic grandmother/stares from the porch, a torch, of pure refusal,” allows the reader to picture the scene perfectly. I see a grandmother standing on the porch, hands on hips, wishing that she could have some of the sherbet, but almost disgusted that others were eating it. The words like “stare,” “torch,” and “pure” make me imagine that she would probably be quite a firecracker.
The last stanza ends with a sadness from Dove. She wishes she could go back, remember, taste the sherbet, taste her childhood, but she can’t. “Now I see why/you bothered,/father,” leaves a bitterness, she misses her father. Dove is only now able to understand why her father did what he did, made those days so special, because one day they will fade. The words such as “thought,” “joke,” “trying,” and “doesn’t” show an ending. An inability to remember causes her to write the poem. She wants to go back. “Now [she] see[s] why. The one part that is still confusing about this ending stanza however are the lines "We thought no one was lying/there under out feet." I am not exactly sure what this could symbolize or be a reflection about. Could it be the juxtaposition of death and childhood innocence?
A picture of Grape Sherbet:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TOH/Images/Photos/37/exps15436_CX10186C51B.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Grape-Sherbet&h=300&w=300&sz=11&tbnid=Z0dIZmuOgDnFlM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=97&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgrape%2Bsherbet%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=grape+sherbet&docid=Ru7tlftQflgvcM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=g7BvT8SgJMbItgfry9DFBg&ved=0CHEQ9QEwBA&dur=1144
A project on "Grape Sherbet:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gW4A47rn_4
Testimonial
Back when the earth was new (1)
and heaven was just a whisper,
back when the names of things
hadn't had time to stick;
back when the smalled breezes (5)
melted summer into autumn,
when all the poplars quivered
sweetly in the rank and file . . .
the world called, and I answered.
Each glance ignited to a gaze. (10)
I caught my breath and called that life,
swooned between spoonfuls of lemon sorbet.
I was pirouette and flourish,
I was filigree and flame.
How could I count my blessings (15)
when I didn't know their names?
Back when everything was still to come,
luck leaked out everywhere.
I game my promise to the world,
and the world followed me here. (20)
-Rita Dove
Vocabulary: poplars - a tall fast growing tree in the willow family
pirouette - spinning on one foot
filigree - ornamental work of fine wire formed into tracery
Throughout this poem, the reader is able to see clear themes of life, hope, and opportunity. To me, the poem is full of how we as people should live life and what being young is all about.
The first and second stanzas allow the reader to truly see what the poem will be like, as they set the tone for its entirety. Stanza one divulges that the poem will be about the past and what it meant to the speaker. The phrase "back when," which is repeated twice in this stanza and four times total throughout the poem, implies a fondness to the abstract details of the past that are being provided. Through this stanza, we are able to see that it is not a sad moment in the past that is being discussed, but one of the great unknown and when the world was new to the speaker. As Dove typically writes about history, whether her own or historical events, I sense that she is reaching back into her own memory and building up to the memories of how she felt about the world. The youngness of the speaker that is present throughout the rest of the poem is hinted at in lines 3-4 "back when the names of things/hadn't had time to stick;" when an innocence and naivety is unfolded. The second stanza continues with the same types of memories for the speaker which strengthens the tone of the poem as well as allows the reader to begin a grasp on the overall "lesson" and/or theme of the poem. Once again the phrase "back when" begins the stanza, however, this time, it is continuing the list of images that are important to the overall meaning of the poem. My favorite image "when all the poplars quivered/sweetly in rank and file . . ." appears in lines 7-8. This just gives such a gorgeous picture in my head of what the speaker is talking about. I picture the trees flowing back and forth all in lines, hundreds of trees moving together in a sort of poetic symphony. I believe that in these stanzas, the tone is solidified as love and fondness because of the memories that are vividly described.
The third stanza is one of the most important stanzas in the poem, in my opinion, because of the introducing line “the world called, and I answered.” This line implies that the time that the speaker is remembering and talking about is one where she is answering a sort of calling. I feel as this line, and the ones that mirror it (lines 19-20), is saying that when we as young people are willing to accept the challenges, successes, beauty, and hardships that life presents, we will be able to live happier lifes, and in the case of lines 19-20, we will be able to do so at any age. “Each glance ignited to a gaze,” implies a love and vivacity for life and what through the progression of glance to gaze and the word ignited. I was confused about what the lemon sorbet meant within this stanza. To me, it didn’t follow with the rest of the images found in the poem.
The fourth stanza is when the memories are slowing down for the speaker, and what the young person was is reduced to two short sentences. “I was pirouette and flourish,/I was filigree and flame.” This part of the poem stands out to me as meaning that the person was the beginning (flourish and flame) of something gorgeous, complex, and elegant much like pirouettes and filigrees. I like that the stanza ends questioning what is commonly said to people in life “count your blessings.” The speaker makes the interesting point of how do you count you blessing without truly knowing what they are in the moment. I also think that this question indicts and shines a light onto what youth really is. It shows that young people tend to not see the opportunities that life presents as blessings or important at the time; it is only after growth that it is truly recognized, hindsight is 100%.
The final stanza ends with one final “back when” statement, which talks about the infinite life ahead when one is young, but contrasts the statement with the thought that life and the joy that it brings will follow you throughout the journey as you get older. The overwhelming fascination that is given to what life is about throughout the first four stanzas is able to be experienced no matter the age of the person. The speaker tells the reader the moral of the story; it is about the love of life throughout childhood innocence and into the knowledge that is gained as an adult. “I gave my promise to the world,/and the world followed me here” (lines 19-20).
This poem is free verse with no continuous rhyme scheme.
Poplars: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:news.uns.purdue.edu/images/%2B2006/chapple-poplars.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/2006/060823.Chapple.poplar.html&h=1201&w=1600&sz=1378&tbnid=bBERjFOejY6ijM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=123&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpoplars%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=poplars&docid=PyyHq6RdVHBJqM&sa=X&ei=tY-HT4W5Asqs8AHy4sibCA&ved=0CE8Q9QEwBQ&dur=307
Rita Dove reading "Testimonial": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uKxkTxXRu4
"Teach Us to Number Our Days"
In the old neighborhood, each funeral parlor (1)
is more elaborate than the last.
The alleys smell of cops, pistols bumping their thighs,
each chamber steeled with a slim blue bullet.
Low-rent balconies stacked to the sky. (5)
A boy plays tic-tac-toe on a moon
crossed by TV antennae, dreams
he has swallowed a blue bean.
It takes root in his gut, sprouts
and twines upward, the vines curling (10)
around the sockets and locking them shut.
And this sky, knotting like a dark tie?
The patroller, disinterested, holds all the beans.
August. The mums nod past, each a prickly heart on a sleeve. (14)
-Rita Dove
This poem has no official scansion or rhyme scheme. The overall theme is about how many living in the ghetto want to get out and what it is like to live in a place where you don't feel safe.
In the first two stanzas the poem describes a neighborhood that seems to be the projects. Phrases such as "alleys smell of cops," and "low-rent balconies stacked to the sky" imply a neighborhood that is rougher than most (lines 2, 5). The speaker is describing the neighborhood that he/she grew up in, and very possibly a specific instance in their life. Stanza one implies that many people die in this neighborhood with "each funeral parlor/is more elaborate than the last" (lines 1-2). Stanza two begins to talk about a boy that lives in the neighborhood and his dreams. I don't exactly know what "a moon crossed by TV antennae" could be," however I would assume that the TV antennae are replacing tree branches that are typically seen as crossing the moon (lines 6-7). The blue bean makes reference to the blue bullet from line 4; therefore, the boy dreams of swallowing bullets, possibly what it would be like to be shot, to be somewhere besides the place that he has grown up, he dreams of the pain that comes with death.
Stanza three is where we find that the boy would like to "swallow a blue bean" and see what it would be like (line 8). Words such as "root," "sprout," "curling," and "locking" imply a deep pain that the boy has within him (lines 9, 10, 11). The boy is experiencing death by "the vines curling/around the sockets and locking them shut" allowing no air to get into the body, enabling the boy to not need to live through the pain that he has (lines 10-11). I feel as though all of these words of pain are connected the neighborhood. The neighborhood and aspects of life there have caused the boy to want out like most people want out of bad situations.
Stanza four is when it is known that the boy is not actually dead or shot. The cop who doesn't really care about the safety of the boy, he really only cares about keeping the insanity and chaos at a minimum. Regardless, he still has the bullets; the boy is just a boy who wants out of his situation. I really am not sure what "And this sky, knotting like a dark tie?" means to the poem (line 12). My best guess as reread the poem is that the boys life is getting darker with these thoughts. I picture the sky as a bad storm is coming into town. The dark swirling clouds are over the boys life, he is sad and feels unsafe and unwelcome if he is dreaming of death, maybe he will take a stance or join in with the bad crowd. Either way, I feel as though his life is what is swirling and dark.
The last stanza honestly makes no sense to me no matter how many times I read the poem. August could be the time of month that this scene is pictured by the speaker; it is hot and muggy, the alleys smell and a boy is daydreaming. Mums are flowers; however, the flowers are not prickly. The other form of mums that I know is "mums the word" or keep it quiet, and this doesn't seem to fit with the image of wearing ones heart on ones sleeve. Finally, in England, mums are moms. This seems to be the safest bet for me because moms are protective over their young (like the aforementioned boy) and are honest; "a prickly heart on a sleeve" (line 14).
The poem's title has a very religious message. "Teach us to number our days," comes from Psalm 90:12. The prayer in this psalm being about the need to live life day by day and make the best out of all situations in order to gain the wisdom that is given to us.
The following link is a song based on Psalm 90:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8KgMUZo1Qc
Low-rent balconies: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=the+projects&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1116&bih=611&tbm=isch&tbnid=rI-433c1SYUr4M:&imgrefurl=http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/chrisandjanie/1/1287279691/smokey-mountain-i-and-the-projects.jpg/tpod.html&docid=AmUD9dHLDR7cRM&imgurl=http://images.travelpod.com/users/chrisandjanie/1.1287279691.smokey-mountain-i-and-the-projects.jpg&w=550&h=413&ei=55-HT-fcN6es8AH2poXACQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=108&vpy=291&dur=2146&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=95&ty=114&sig=100683664688776723666&page=1&tbnh=118&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:148
This is the picture that I want to show because of the apartments on the right that are higher rise and the alleys between them.